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Game Thread Game One: #1 Ohio State 35, Northern Illinois 12 (9/2/06)

There was a reason it was titled 'The Lighter Side'.

Personally, I respect NIU's football team and think Wolfe is a very talented RB. I do not have to disrespect either to think OSU will win comfortably (I predicted 37-17, which is a conservative estimate IMO).

However, my posting attitude towards NIU has changed significantly over the course of this thread... due to the repetitive clamoring for respect by certain posters.

I agree. If you're the #1 team in the country, or even #10, you should beat us by quite a bit, since we're usually not ranked. We're just optimistic that we might have an outside shot, or at least be able to make it a game. Personally, I don't consider that disrespect. Sometimes NIU is underestimated because we play in the MAC, that's where the sensitivity comes from.
 
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Here's something you should keep in mind, NIU007... There are a lot of MAC schools in Ohio, and while it's clear that we all put OSU 1st, there are a lot of people who went to MAC schools and have an honest respect for the conference. You may need to "prove yourselves" to Alabama or Maryland etc... states unfamilair with the quality of MAC football... But ohioians know pleanty about what the MAC offers.
 
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Here's something you should keep in mind, NIU007... There are a lot of MAC schools in Ohio, and while it's clear that we all put OSU 1st, there are a lot of people who went to MAC schools and have an honest respect for the conference. You may need to "prove yourselves" to Alabama or Maryland etc... states unfamilair with the quality of MAC football... But ohioians know pleanty about what the MAC offers.

Point taken. Ironically, you probably know more about NIU (and the MAC) than most of the Chicago media, since they concentrate on drooling over Notre Dame most of the time. Ohio is far more of a football state than Illinois is, prolly because of OSU plus several other Div-I programs.
 
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Exactly. Look at the MAC schools in Ohio. BG-Toledo cover the northwest, Miami covers the southwest, Ohio covers the southeast, and Kent-Akron cover the northeast. EVERYONE in Ohio who follows football knows some good local kid who went to a MAC school, or at least knows quite a bit about the schools. Even Marshall (former MAC-ster) was close to the Ohio border.

Of course, outside of those schools, we know nothing about the MAC and hold them in disdain. :biggrin:

And, actually, Ohio is a football state because of the Buckeyes and High School football. Sure, Miami is the "cradle of coaches," but they aren't what makes Ohio a football state.
 
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G-Force, NIU, and other NIU supporters:

Know what? You got your "Rockie" shot in a few days. Is Wolfe and that offensive line as good as you think? Is our new defense as good as we think? Will it be neck and neck until late in the game or 35-0 at the half? Will NIU and Wolfe surprise the Buckeyes looking past them to Texas?

We'll all know the answer to those questions shortly. I know who I think is going to surprise whom and good luck to your team. :osu:
 
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G-Force, NIU, and other NIU supporters:

Know what? You got your "Rockie" shot in a few days. Is Wolfe and that offensive line as good as you think? Is our new defense as good as we think? Will it be neck and neck until late in the game or 35-0 at the half? Will NIU and Wolfe surprise the Buckeyes looking past them to Texas?

We'll all know the answer to those questions shortly. I know who I think is going to surprise whom and good luck to your team. :osu:
Yes we will find out.

Good luck.
 
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Exactly. Look at the MAC schools in Ohio. BG-Toledo cover the northwest, Miami covers the southwest, Ohio covers the southeast, and Kent-Akron cover the northeast. EVERYONE in Ohio who follows football knows some good local kid who went to a MAC school, or at least knows quite a bit about the schools. Even Marshall (former MAC-ster) was close to the Ohio border.

Of course, outside of those schools, we know nothing about the MAC and hold them in disdain. :biggrin:

And, actually, Ohio is a football state because of the Buckeyes and High School football. Sure, Miami is the "cradle of coaches," but they aren't what makes Ohio a football state.

There's a running argument (half-serious anyway) on MAC boards that the Ohio schools seem to get the the few bowl games over the non-Ohio teams, regardless of record. Also, the Miami fans would probably dispute your comment about Miami not making Ohio a football state. You've never seen the likes of Miami. :biggrin: It's a little annoying that the attendance problems that many MAC schools have is that half the fans of the Ohio MAC schools are OSU fans. Oh well.

Good Luck in most of your games (but not against us, of course). I'm hoping the Sun shifts position so it's in your eyes all 4 quarters. :biggrin:
 
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Well game day approaches and hype and press will give way to helmets and chin straps.Garrett Wolfe seems like he is the real deal. Averaging 175 yards a game last year and 6.5 per rush the last 2 seasons means he is a stud, no matter the conference. The rush defense for the good guys will certainly be the thing to watch. If OSU can contain Wolfe when the game is still close that bodes well for the future. I will be looking for both the OSU O-line and D-line to control the trenches, mostly contain Wolfe, and make up for any rust by simply having better athletes. I say OSU by 14 taking into account some garbage time points from NIU at the end.
 
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NIU

Here is an article from the Toledo blade today.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060830/SPORTS16/608300447/-1/SPORTS


By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

COLUMBUS - Ohio State wants everyone to know that its No. 1 ranking and its long and illustrious tradition probably do more to motivate the opposition than anything else, so they say beware of everyone.
And with Mid-American Conference favorite Northern Illinois coming to Ohio Stadium on Saturday, the Buckeyes are crying Wolfe - Garrett Wolfe that is, the top returning rusher in all of Division I-A college football.
"He's a small, quick back, running behind a big, strong offensive line, so that's our primary concern right now," Ohio State senior defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock said of the 5-foot-7, 175-pound Wolfe. "First you have to find him, and then you have to stop him."

The Buckeyes have won their last 27 home openers, and will be prohibitive favorites against the Huskies, who have claimed at least a share of the MAC West title in four of the last five years. But Ohio State coach Jim Tressel contends there is nothing automatic about this one. He sees the big and bad part of this deal in those folks in front of Wolfe.

"They'll give you perhaps one of the finest running backs in the country, Garrett Wolfe, and it doesn't matter who he's playing against, he's 200-yard rush guy," Tressel said. "They have a huge offensive line and sometimes you lose sight of those guys behind mammoth folks like that. If you watch them on film, they are fundamentally sound. They're very physical, tough kids."
Tressel said that although Wolfe is comparable in stature to Michigan running back Mike Hart, Ohio State has not really seen a ballcarrier that mirrors Wolfe.
"You know, he's shorter than some, so I guess you can say [he's similar to] Hart from Michigan, in that type of thing," Tressel said. "But Wolfe is on a zone run team, and I don't know if we've played against a guy like Garrett Wolfe, which will make this an even greater challenge."
Wolfe averaged 175.6 yards rushing per game in 2005, second in the nation, and had 1,656 rushing yards in nine games, missing three games with a knee injury. His second straight 1,600-yard season gives Northern Illinois a streak of seven straight seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher.
"They've done extraordinary things. And I think it's been because they teach so well, their fundamentals are so good, they play low, they play hard, they do the things you like to see as a football coach," Tressel said.
David Patterson, who along with Pitcock are the only returning starters on the Ohio State defense, said Wolfe's package of speed and quickness in a diminutive frame allows him to get lost in the battle up front.
"He gets the ball and picks his spots and then he hits the hole so fast," Patterson said. "He'll be a challenge for us to stop."
Wolfe had four touchdowns and almost 400 yards rushing in games against Michigan and Northwestern last season, and Tressel does not expect the specter of a Big Ten opponent to have any bearing on how Wolfe or the rest of the Huskies play on Saturday.
"They bring it every week, and it really doesn't matter who they're playing against," he said. "You can turn on the game with Michigan last year, or a couple years ago when they beat Alabama down in Tuscaloosa, or going over to Maryland and beating Maryland. You can go down their history. They know what they have to do and their players just understand the game."
Tressel said he expects Saturday to tell him more about the Buckeyes than it will about Northern Illinois.
"We know they're good, and we're anxious to find out a little about ourselves," he said. "They're going to come in here with nothing on their mind other than a victory, and our guys are going to have a chance to line up against a good football team and get maybe some of these questions that we've been asking back and forth over the last six months, and find out some answers to those

:osu:

 
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What I love about OSU's scheduling is that we'll be playing 2 future conference champions in our out-of-conference schedule (NIU, Texas). NIU should be one of the top 2 or 3 mid-majors the entire year, if not the best. This is going to be a great test for this ball club, and I'm not even sure you could call it a "tune-up" game. I can not wait until Saturday

Being a Toledo student (and having braved the cold that fateful night in the students section), I watched UT get torched at home in the 2nd half by Wolfe for 170+ yards (and their 2nd string QB, who looked real sharp as well). Though our D was very inexperienced last year, Wolfe got to that 2nd level really quick and wasn't all that easy to bring down. Unfortunately for you guys, the secret is out about y'all. This team won't be looking ahead to next week. If there was any doubt, Tressel's comments relieved them.

I wish y'all Huskies luck on the game this weekend! See ya November 7th! :evil: Go Bucks and go Rockets!
 
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